Manchester versus Cancer Concert

• 31st Oct 2005

The biggest ever charity fundraising gig to be staged in Manchester is being launched with some of Manchester’s very own legends set to be on stage together for the first time ever.

Andy Rourke (The Smiths), The Charlatans, Badly Drawn Boy, Mani (Stone Roses and Primal Scream) and Peter Hook have already offered their support to the event and the line-up is being added to every day with some big names from Manchester’s past and present. It could lead to some one-off, amazing collaborations on stage and is making people predict that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime event.

The ‘Manchester versus Cancer gig at the MEN Arena on January 28th 2006 was the idea of ex-Smith, Andy Rourke, following news that his manager’s sister and father had been diagnosed with cancer. Andy and friends decided to group together to raise £1million for alternatives to chemotherapy at Manchester’s Christie Hospital, Europe’s largest cancer treatment and research centre.

Picking up the phone to friends, Andy quickly found that most people’s lives had been touched by cancer in some way and everyone wanted to help. And more famous faces and bands are set to confirm over the coming weeks.

Speaking about the gig, Andy said: “It will bring together people and bands that have made Manchester famous. It will be huge and the idea is that this will be the start of an annual event to raise money for charity whether it is helping cancer or arthritis. It will be bigger and bigger each year, the highlight of the musical calendar.”